


True Love's Kiss, or Something Like It

by Lindria



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-05-12
Packaged: 2018-01-24 13:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1606340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lindria/pseuds/Lindria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt from KMM: Best friends; Arthur teases Merlin that he still hasn't received his first kiss. During a drunken night Arthur kisses him and Merlin won't talk to him any more because he was waiting for the real love kiss, and Arthur has ruined it.</p><p>Arthur makes up to him, saying that if the butterflies he feels in his stomach whenever he sees him are anything to go by, then he most certainly classifies the kiss as real love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	True Love's Kiss, or Something Like It

    “Really?”  
  
    “Yes.”  
  
    “Never?”  
  
    “No.”  
  
    “Not even a little one?”  
  
    “Arthur, for the last time, no! Can we please just drop it?” Merlin was starting to get annoyed. He wasn't sure exactly when they had started talking about his love life, or more specifically the lack thereof, but Arthur had verbally stumbled upon a secret that Merlin didn't tell many people. It wasn't as critical as Arthur finding out about his magic, but it wasn't exactly Merlin's favorite thing to talk about, either.  
  
    It didn't help that Arthur was just a bit drunk due to an unfortunate accident in which he hadn't cleanly killed the boar they were hunting earlier that day. The arrow hit too high, and the boar had charged, aiming his tusks at several of Arthur's most vital organs. It was only because of some quick thinking that Merlin had been able to prevent the boar from gutting him. But he wasn't quite fast enough, since the tusk still went deep into Arthur's thigh. At least, Arthur had chuckled weakly, the boar had died from that arrow wound. Merlin just smiled, silently congratulated himself, and helped one of the knights get Arthur onto his horse.  
   
    Gaius had given him some medicine and directed him to rest in his chambers, but Arthur had decided that in addition to the medicine, he needed some strong ale to numb the pain even more while Merlin re-wrapped the bandage. So now he was comfortably tipsy, and it caused him to be much more of a prat than usual.  
  
    “I just can't believe that you've never kissed anyone before. I know that you're from a small village, but surely there was at least one girl there who would be willing to kiss a clumsy idiot with big ears.” Merlin “accidentally” pressed down on Arthur's wound a bit, causing him to yelp in protest.  
  
    “You did that on purpose,” Arthur said accusingly, pointing at Merlin. His hand swayed slightly. Merlin was amused. He supposed that as a prince who loved to be in control, and would in fact be in control of the kingdom someday, he didn't usually allow himself to have anything other than watered down wine.    
  
    “Sorry sire. My hand slipped.” He glanced up at Arthur with innocent smile and earned a rather ineffective glare in response.  
  
    He sighed as he finished wrapping up Arthur's leg and stood. He had never kissed anyone before, that was true, but it wasn't due to a lack of willing girls in his village. He just... didn't like girls that way. He had considered kissing Will before, but while his friend had accepted that Merlin preferred men, he had made it very clear that he was most definitely only interested in women.  
  
    “I know! We should go find a girl to kiss you. It can't be too hard. Even I know that girls find you attractive, in an odd sort of way.” Arthur looked at Merlin critically. “I suppose I can see their point.”  
  
    Merlin's eyes widened slightly, and he knew that the tips of his “big ears” were flushed pink. Did Arthur just call him attractive? He had to be imagining things.  
  
    “I don't want you to find a girl for me. I really don't mind that I haven't kissed anyone.” And he didn't. Not really. Since he had gone this long without kissing someone, he wanted it to mean something when he finally did.  
  
    He glanced up at Arthur again, wishing for just a moment that Arthur was offering to be his first kiss, not find it for him. Even though his prince could be a royal prat, Merlin had undeniably fallen for him. For each of his more annoying qualities, he had two that were endearing and admirable. They just weren't things that Arthur showed as often as he should.  
  
    There were little moments, like when he laughed so freely at something his knights said, or that time when he came to the rescue of a small boy who was being bullied by some older boys. They hinted at the wonderful king that Arthur would become, and that was the person that Merlin had fallen in love with.  
  
    Of course, the affection that Arthur showed Merlin was brotherly at best, and Merlin didn't want a kiss from the prince just because he was in love. Arthur didn't love him, and that was the issue.  
  
    “You should mind. Aren't most common folk married by the time they're twenty? You seem to be a bit behind.” Of course, there were times when Merlin wondered why he was attracted to someone who would tease him so mercilessly. Merlin's ears felt hotter, and he knew that the blush had spread to his cheeks as well. The fact that he hadn't had any interest in getting married to the girls in the area was one of the reasons that he was glad to come to Camelot in the first place. Most people here wouldn't care one way or the other if he were married.  
  
    “I'm fine with not being married, too. Arthur, don't you think you should rest? Let's get you off to bed.” He was getting annoyed now, and would have just left Arthur where he was if not for the fact that he was injured and slightly drunk and might make things worse if left unaided. That and the fact that Arthur's lack of ability to stand at the moment made it that much easier to get close to him.  
  
    Merlin ducked his head and grabbed Arthur's arm, pulling it over his neck. As he stood, Arthur stood as well, insisting all the while that he could manage quite well on his own, thank you very much. When Merlin slipped his free arm around Arthur's waist to help steady him, Arthur turned to face him, moving a bit awkwardly.  
  
    Merlin started to get a bit uncomfortable after Arthur stared at him for several moments. His expression was strange, as if he were struggling with himself about something. With no warning other than a shrug, Arthur leaned forward and kissed Merlin full on the lips. It was just a closed-mouth press of lips, but it sent a jolt through Merlin's whole body. Several stunned seconds passed, and Merlin pulled away once he recovered from the shock of having his prince's lips planted firmly against his.  
  
    How dare Arthur do something like that without even asking? It didn't help that he was drunk, and that he looked enormously pleased with himself, as if he had just bestowed a great gift upon his servant. Merlin was instantly upset. Arthur was looking at him like it was no big deal, like his feelings didn't even matter. Did Arthur even know what Merlin's feelings were, or his own, for that matter? He was obviously just drunk and not thinking clearly.  
  
    Without a word, he turned and guided Arthur toward his bed, perhaps a little rougher than he otherwise would have. Once the prince was safely there with only a small new bruise to show for it, Merlin made his way to the door, not even bothering to help turn down the sheets.  
  
    “If you don't require anything else, Sire, I'm going to retire for the night,” he said formally. He bowed stiffly and opened the door, ignoring Arthur when he called his name.  
  
    Instead of going back to Gaius's chambers, he headed for one of the rarely-used towers of the castle. He had come to think of it as “his,” since he had only seen another person there maybe ten times in the past two years. It was a great place to think, and it offered a wonderful view of the city and the forest beyond. Right now, there was a clear sky full of millions of stars, and Merlin stared at them as he tried to sort out his thoughts.  
  
    Arthur had kissed him. Kissed. Him. He didn’t know whether to feel giddy or annoyed or sad. Since he knew what kissing was, he had imagined this wonderful, romantic kiss, like the ones mothers told their daughters about in the stories. There would be a valiant prince who would say just the right thing before gently giving the maiden a kiss of love. He had never told anyone about that fantasy, because he was a man, and men didn’t think like that. Even Will had told him that.  
  
    Arthur was a prince, that was true, but valiant? No, he was just drunk and not thinking about what he was doing.  If he even remembered it in the morning, he’d either “forget” it ever happened, or blame Merlin for it. He might even decide that it wasn’t worth it to have him around any more. If on the off chance that Arthur wasn’t upset about it in the morning, he would still probably think it was no big deal. Stupid prat.  
  
    Even while he was upset, though, there was that small little voice inside his head that was holding on to hope. Arthur apparently wasn’t against kissing another man, and he had hinted at the fact that Merlin was attractive. Did that mean that he might feel the same way that Merlin did?  
  
    No. That couldn't be right. When Arthur was sober and not in pain, he treated Merlin like, well, a servant, and a particularly annoying one at that. There were times where Merlin thought that they were bickering like brothers who were secretly fond of one another, but that was about it.  
  
    He sighed. 'I shouldn't be so upset,' he thought to himself as he gazed up at the full moon, wishing that he could draw some answer from it. 'It was just a kiss, and not even one that he's likely to remember in the morning.' He sighed. This probably would have been easier if he had just kissed Gwaine that one time at the tavern. Sure, Gwaine had been drinking too, but at least it was obvious that he liked Merlin.  
  
    Merlin was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Arthur standing behind him, a cane in hand to help him walk on his bad leg. He looked a bit out of breath, and decidedly more sober than he was in his room.  
  
    “What do you want?” Merlin asked, still annoyed enough to ignore the rules of  “how to speak to a prince.”  
  
    “I didn't mean to upset you,” Arthur said, looking uncomfortable, and not just because his leg was hurt. Merlin, for his part, was very surprised.  
  
    “That sounded almost like an apology, Arthur.” Arthur never apologized.  
  
    “Well, I-”  
  
    “Should have asked first? Yes, you should have. Because of you, I get to remember my first kiss as a drunken pity kiss. It was supposed to be with someone who at least liked me.” His ears and cheekbones started to burn again, and he cursed his pale skin for showing so much red all the time.  
  
    Arthur smiled after a moment, though he still looked uncomfortable. “Well, at least I got that part right,” he said in a rush, as if the words had spilled out of his mouth before he had the chance to think better of it. "Though pretending to be thoroughly in my cups was probably a mistake."  
  
    “What?” Again with the hearing and misinterpreting things. But Merlin wasn't sure how he was misinterpreting things this time. Did Arthur just admit...?  
  
    “You're going to make me spell it out for you, aren't you? Gods, Merlin, you are an idiot sometimes.” He paused for a moment to think, then sighed. “Something about butterflies,” he muttered, half to himself.  
  
    “Butterflies?”  
  
    “Yeah. That's how I heard the servant girls describe it.”  
  
    “It?” Merlin's heart started to beat faster. He knew (or at least prayed that he knew) what Arthur was trying to get at, but he wasn't going to make it easy on him.  
  
    With a frustrated noise, Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand and placed it right above his belly button. “It feels like there are butterflies there, every time I see you. I've heard people say that they feel that way when they are...”  
  
    “In love?” Merlin finished softly, taking a bit of pity on Arthur. When Arthur nodded, Merlin's heart nearly beat out of his chest. He smiled, then laughed a bit when Arthur blushed a deep Pendragon red and wouldn't meet his eyes.  
  
    “I get butterflies too,” Merlin said with a huge grin, stepping closer to Arthur, so that there was barely any space between them. When Arthur glanced up, staring just a bit below Merlin's eyes, Merlin leaned forward and boldly closed the distance between them. He had intended it to be a closed-mouth kiss like the last one, but Arthur had other ideas.  
  
    Arthur's cane toppled to the floor, forgotten, as his hand sneaked up to wind itself in Merlin's hair, pulling slightly and holding him close at the same time. Merlin groaned at the new sensation and pressed himself closer. He slipped one arm around Arthur's waist, splaying his palm against the small of Arthur's back. The other hand mimicked Arthur's, sliding into his thick blonde hair.  
  
    When Arthur nipped at his lips, Merlin's hand fisted into Arthur's shirt as their tongues met and slid against one another. Why had they waited so long to do this? He never wanted this feeling to end. In fact, for a moment, Merlin forgot everything except for lips and tongues and the feel of Arthur's shirt and hair beneath his fingers.  
  
    They seemed to kiss forever, but when they broke the contact, it seemed like no time had passed at all. Their breathing was unsteady, and Merlin let out a little joyous giggle.  
  
    “The butterflies are definitely there.” Arthur just nodded, smiling in a way that Merlin rarely saw. He looked relaxed and happy, even though his face was still flushed.  
  
    “Arthur, your face matches your tunic,” he teased. Arthur tried to look stern, but the smile in his eyes ruined the intended effect.  
  
    “Shut up. It's your fault anyway. And if you breathe a word about it to anyone...”  
      
    “I wouldn't dream of it, Arthur,” he said innocently as he pulled his prince in for another kiss. 


End file.
